Guest Speaker Phil Weilerstein Executive Director, NCIIA (20 years) National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance Chair, Entrepreneurship Division of the American Society of Engineering Education Phil Weilerstein leads the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA www.nciia.org) a national program to stimulate and support innovation and entrepreneurship at universities and colleges. He has designed and oversees programs which encourage curricular innovation and student venture creation, provide resources for faculty and student entrepreneurs, and develop conferences and workshops for faculty and students with a focus on encouraging socially beneficial application of technological innovations and the improvement of entrepreneurship and innovation education in higher education. As an entrepreneur in a not-for-profit organization, he has grown the NCIIA from a grassroots group of enthusiastic faculty to a nationally known and in-demand knowledge base and resource center. Mr. Weilerstein received his BS from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Phil Weilerstein began his career as a student entrepreneur at the University of Massachusetts. He and a team, including his advisor, launched a start-up biotech company that ultimately went public. This experience, coupled with a lifelong passion for entrepreneurship, led to his work with the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA). Phil s tenure at the NCIIA is marked by his skill for network-building and expert leverage of resources. He has a special talent for seeking out gifted educators and other important contributors and putting them to work for the betterment of invention, innovation, and entrepreneurship education in the US and worldwide.
Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Engineering Education WHAT, WHY AND HOW UCSD Engineering Deans Council May 9, 2014 Phil Weilerstein NCIIA 15% 10% Percentile change in importance of task type in U.S. economy 5% 0% 5% 10% 1960 1970 1980 1990 2002 Autor, D., Levy, F., & Murnane, R. J. (2003). The skill content of recent technological change: An empirical exploration. Quarterly Journal of Economics 188, 4. [updated, D. Autor, 2008]
Innovation = Invention + (Adaptation to the Market) + Diffusion Innovation as Culture Weave the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship throughout the environment and the curriculum to create an ecosystem of support and enablement.
How to improve the innovation environment at universities 1. Catalyze the development of experiential courses and programs in innovation and commercialization 2. Stimulate multi disciplinary collaboration among students and faculty to move creative research, product and technology ideas to commercialization 3. Integrate university activity with arts, industry and local business networks for mentoring, advising and investing 4. Set goals and measure the impact of commercialization as educational, product and venture development experiences. 5 How to institutionalize entrepreneurship in education Entrepreneurial thinking in the Frameworks integrate throughout the curriculum, build into accreditation requirements more explicitly Expect it of every student Entrepreneurial Doing in the Programs Remove barriers to experiential engagement at both ugrad and grad levels Legitimize commercial endeavor as part of educational experience Celebrate the pursuit of opportunity by those who choose the path 6
Create and support the pathway Respect the innovator at least as much as the innovation Educate for innovation and research. Innovation can be taught and learned. Address the challenges in venture formation head on & provide support to address them Provide rewards and recognition for innovation that acknowledges an expanded view of the academic role 7 Elements for success 1)Support and Engagement of Leadership 2)Tie to Institutional strategy 3)Connect to Institutional History and Values 4)Celebrate Local success in Local context 5)Student Engagement
Key Program Components Academics Key enabling knowledge Experience Opportunity for Entrepreneurial Doing Networking & Community Connections Teaming Collaborative innovation Coaching and Mentoring Support and Guidance Funding and Commercialization Pathways 9 Design and Strategy of the Curricula 1. Level of student: undergraduate or graduate or mix? 2. Discipline of students: engineering, business, and other? 3. Focus of the course: leadership skills, entrepreneurial management, venture formation? 4. Scope and breadth of the courses: seminars, courses, or a sequence of courses? 5. Purpose of the program: purely elective versus part of a certificate/minor/major?
EG: Mechanical Engineering ugrad : 5 open elective classes in four years History student: 21 open elective classes Entrepreneurial Doing Competitions Venture Development Student led initiatives
Integrated Product Design Curriculum Product Design and Entrepreneurship (PD&E) Technical Elective The final of the course is a business plan and technical overview presentation to a panel of outside experts, E Team support for projects that warrant further funding. Identify female students interested in launching technology companies and provide them with the knowledge, tools and support to help them succeed. Increase the number of female founders of technology based startups by increasing awareness among the female student population about entrepreneurship as a career option. Provide female students with a chance to pursue entrepreneurial activities in the safe environment of a university while building their confidence in their abilities, competencies and skills. Build a strong collaborative network of female founders and their supporters. Build successful technology startups.
Zahn Prize The Moxie Incubator provides: Lab Workspace, Tools and Equipment Education on how to build a startup company Mentoring from experienced entrepreneurs and business experts Advisors in corporate and IP law, marketing, manufacturing, etc. Networking
Examples of Description Extracurricular Resources Resource Type Seed Stage funding CAPITAL Business Incubator ASSISTANCE Mentoring ADVICE Hands On Venture Formation EXPERIENCE Business Plan Competition EXPERIENCE/CAPITAL Start Up Bootcamp ASSISTANCE Student Venture Club NETWORK Alumni Network NETWORK Database/List of Product Ideas & Business Opportunities IDEAS Field Experiences for Needs Identification IDEAS Interdisciplinary Collaborations Across Schools/Departments ASSISTANCE Tech Transfer ASSISTANCE External Partnerships to Facilitate Student Projects IDEAS Innovation Corps Trained ~300 teams to date Goal is to determine the commercial potential of university research NCIIA responsible for implementation, faculty training, evaluation Based on Lean Launchpad (Steve Blank) Required I Corps training is 8 week course (two workshops and online) Each team awarded $50,000 to investigate commercialization
s I-Corps Nodes NCIIA Coordinates National Network of Nodes I-Corps Program Activity I-Corps Sites NCIIA collaborates with sites to create pipeline of innovators I-Corps Mentors NCIIA role as coordinator I-Corps Teams NCIIA runs training programs
I-Corps Nodes NCIIA Coordinates National Network of Nodes I-Corps Program Activity Von Liebig Center I Corps Site 2014 I-Corps Sites NCIIA collaborates with sites to create pipeline of innovators I-Corps Mentors NCIIA role as coordinator I-Corps Teams NCIIA runs training programs Entrepreneurship Education Activities Pennsylvania State University Overview Pennsylvania State University Center for Engineering Design & Entrepreneurship Ferrell Center for Civic and Corporate Engineering Community Innovation and Design Program Engagement Entrepreneurship Engineering Leadership Minor Development Minor Engineering Design Engineering & MBA Concentration Certificate Community in Innovation & Engineering Engagement Entrepreneurship Entrepreneurship Certificate Entrepreneurship Minor Concentration E Ship Courses E Ship Engineering Courses Penn State Idea Pitch Competition Learning Factory E Ship Venture Fund and Competition Advanced E Teams Lion Launch Pad Mentoring Industry Partners Student Groups
Idea Research and Invention Innovation Course Grants BME Competition E Team Grants Introductory Courses; Seminars; Speaker Series E SHIP Minor, ENG Design Certificate, ENG Leadership Cert., Eship & Innov. Electives, Learning Factory, Capstones, EShip Capstones IdeaPitch Competition; Penn State Entrepreneur Network Startup or License Growing Business Business Plan Competition; Advanced Work; Lion LaunchPad VentureWell Equity INSPIRATION Hinman CEOs Program U of MD Living Learning Entrepreneurship Program LIVE with aspiring and active entrepreneurs On demand mentoring and coaching Residential experience Incubator setting LEARN in a vibrant experiential environment Courses and Seminars Competitions and Workshops Volunteering LAUNCH real companies 25% of students manage new ventures 24
COMPREHENSIVE Approach Serving students throughout their academic careers & beyond Pre Freshman Young Scholars Program (140) Summer discovery of entrepreneurship Freshman Hinman Innovation Challenge Sophomore 1 st year Hinman CEO Introductory course to establish knowledge & culture (460) Junior 2 nd year Hinman CEO Seminar series to develop confidence, inspire, and encourage (498) Internship preparation Senior 3 rd year Hinman CEO Entrepreneurship lab for applied learning (489B) Advisor to fellow CEOs Employment preparation Alumni Referrals for graduate school or new venturing Seminar speakers Events and competitions VentureAccelerator Mentoring, coaching, competitions, workshops, and networking for funding opportunities 25 EG: Mechanical Engineering ugrad : 5 open elective classes in four years History student: 21 open elective classes
Engineering+X Orange Juice Vitamin C Milk Calcium Orange Juice plus Calcium Mark Schar and Ruben Pierre-Antoine Designing Education Lab Stanford University ASEE Annual Conference June 24, 2013 pedagogical content 12 engineering concepts 10 entrepreneurial concepts Two ambiguous business decisions Sheppard, Sheri D., and Benson H. Tongue. Statics: Analysis and Design of Systems in Equilibrium. Second Edition. Wiley, 2006. Byers, T. H, R. C Dorf, and A. J Nelson. Technology Ventures: From Idea to Enterprise. McGraw-Hill, 2011.